Granny Chiyo was deeply shocked.
"Susanoo… You're obviously not from the Uchiha clan, yet you've reached this level…"
Opposite Morkel, Uchiha Itachi stood calmly, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he lifted his hand, and a swarm of crows surrounded him.
Morkel instantly realized that he had been pulled into Itachi's illusion space.
But this was exactly what he had anticipated.
Inside the illusion, Morkel spoke first. "So, you're the one who released the crow that saved me, right? What are you trying to do?"
Itachi nodded. "Yes. I only wish to protect my brother."
Morkel found this statement ironic. "You wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, leaving only Sasuke, and now you say you want to protect him?"
Itachi did not argue. Instead, he admitted, "I have no intention of explaining my past actions. I am a traitor to Konoha and a sinner to my clan. But please believe me, Morkel—I only want to ensure Sasuke's safety."
Changing the subject, Itachi continued, "I want to ask a favor, as gratitude for helping me back then."
Morkel frowned slightly.
If it hadn't been for the crow, he would have become Danzo's puppet. He couldn't refuse Itachi's request.
"Tell me."
Itachi lowered his head slightly. "Don't hurt Sasuke. If he ever strays from the right path, I hope you can guide him back."
Morkel considered this. He had no reason to refuse.
"Sasuke is my friend."
Seeing Morkel agree, Itachi seemed relieved.
He stretched out his hand, and a crow landed on his palm. "Then, I'll give you another gift."
The crow flapped its wings and landed on Morkel's shoulder. The moment it made contact, it disappeared.
Then, Morkel found himself back in reality.
Across from him, Itachi collapsed as if struck by a powerful illusion.
Strangely, after hitting the ground, his face morphed, revealing that he wasn't Itachi at all!
---
Might Guy vs. Kisame – A Battle of Titans!
Elsewhere, Might Guy and Hoshigaki Kisame were locked in a fierce battle.
Seeing "Itachi" fall, Kisame momentarily panicked.
Even though this version of Itachi was weaker, his genjutsu was unparalleled in the ninja world.
To think that a mere boy had defeated him…
Meanwhile, Morkel noticed something odd—the ground beneath him had turned into a lake.
Kakashi explained, "That's Kisame's jutsu. He has an enormous chakra reserve and can instantly create a lake. He's a Grandmaster in Water Style, making him nearly unbeatable in this environment."
Morkel raised an eyebrow. "That impressive?"
Naruto, ever curious, raised his hand. "Wait… so he spat this water out from his mouth?"
"Yeah," Kakashi replied.
"Then… isn't he just swimming in his own spit?"
Kakashi sighed. "Why do you always focus on the weirdest things?"
Nearby, Might Guy had activated the Sixth Gate, using his overwhelming air pressure to push back the water around him. Kisame, however, moved effortlessly, like a true shark in his element.
Morkel quickly formed hand seals and warned, "Guy-sensei, don't touch the water!"
Guy nodded. "Don't worry! As Konoha's proud Blue Beast, I won't let a single drop touch me!"
With that, Morkel placed both hands on the water's surface.
"Ice Release: Frozen Domain!"
Crystals of ice formed beneath the water, rapidly spreading. In mere moments, the entire lake had frozen solid!
Kisame, caught in the ice, looked utterly dumbfounded.
Granny Chiyo gasped in astonishment. Ice Release?! That's a Kekkei Genkai from the Mist! But… didn't he just use Wood Style too?
Wood Style, Sharingan, Ice Release…
One person possessing three Kekkei Genkai?
Impossible!
Her mind raced, considering the only plausible explanation—Morkel must be an artificial human, created by Konoha using genetic engineering.
After all, Konoha once had Orochimaru, a genius in human experimentation…
Before Kisame could process what had happened, Morkel slammed his fist into the ice.
CRACK!
The frozen surface split open, reaching Kisame's immobilized body.
Then—
BOOM!
Kisame's frozen body shattered into pieces.
The battle was over.
Kakashi, observing the scene, muttered, "The Akatsuki are well-prepared if they can transfer 30% of their chakra into proxies…"
Granny Chiyo's expression darkened.
---
The Akatsuki's Next Move
In the River Country cave, spectral images of Itachi and Kisame appeared on the massive finger statues.
Scorpion chuckled. "You two lasted a little longer than Hidan and Kakuzu."
Kisame smirked. "Why don't you try fighting that red-haired brat yourself? See if you can still joke after that."
Scorpion scoffed. "I'm different. With my puppets, I can take down an entire nation."
Deidara chimed in, "Yeah, he's right."
Kisame chuckled. "You'll understand when you fight him yourself."
Unconcerned, Deidara waved a hand. "That Nine-Tails brat is with them too. Might as well take him down while we're at it."
As they spoke, Gaara's unconscious body fell to the floor.
Pain's voice echoed, "The Tailed Beast extraction is complete. Scorpion, Deidara—handle the Konoha nin."
---
Morkel vs. Deidara – A Clash of Explosions!
Outside the cave, Morkel and his team faced a massive stone door covered in strange talismans.
"This is a Five-Seal Barrier," Morkel explained. "We have to remove all five seals at once."
Naruto frowned. "How do you know that?"
"I read it in an old book."
Morkel formed five clones, sending them in different directions to remove the seals.
Within moments, the seals were broken, and Morkel delivered a powerful punch to the boulder.
BOOM!
The rock shattered, revealing three figures inside.
Gaara lay unconscious, his chakra completely drained.
Before anyone could react, Deidara greeted them with a smug grin. "Yo! Nice to meet you all."
His eyes locked onto Morkel.
"I heard you understand explosions too. Let's see whose art is superior!"
As he spoke, Deidara molded a clay bird, which swallowed Gaara's body. He then leaped onto its back and soared into the sky.
Morkel turned to Kakashi. "I'll go after him."
Naruto clenched his fists. "I'm coming too!"
Kakashi nodded. "Go. But remember—don't damage the Kazekage's body."
Morkel smirked. "He's already dead. Why does it matter?"
Everyone fell silent, recalling Gaara's lifeless face.
Kakashi sighed. "At least retrieve his body."
Morkel agreed.
---
Aerial Battle – The Dawn of a New Ninja Art!
Sai handed Morkel a scroll. With a powerful leap, Morkel launched into the sky like a human rocket.
Deidara, unimpressed, sent clay spiders to intercept him.
But as the dust cleared, Morkel emerged unscathed, encased in an icy shield.
Then, he opened the scroll mid-air.
"Ninjutsu: Iron Fake Painting! Giant Aircraft Technique!"
A sleek, metallic fighter jet materialized from the scroll.
Deidara's jaw dropped. "What the hell is that?!"
Morkel climbed into the cockpit, grinning. "Are you ready for the power of technology?"
With that, he pressed a button—
WHOOSH!
Homing missiles shot out, locking onto Deidara.
Deidara's eyes widened. "They can track me?!"
Below, Naruto and Sai watched in shock.
Naruto muttered, "How many secrets does Morkel even have?!"
Above, flames engulfed the sky as Morkel's missile struck Deidara head-on.
BOOM!
To be continued…